There aren’t many working days left until the Christmas break – some people have knocked off already – but with the snow expected to last well into January it’s worth knowing what your rights are if the weather forces you to miss work.

When the cold weather hit during last winter, a lot of people who might otherwise have cleared snow from the pavements outside their house were put off for fear of being sued. But were they right to be?

We’ve all done it – left the car running outside in the cold to defrost while we retreat indoors to stay toasty. But motoring groups are warning that thieves are lurking to take advantage of the easy pickings this offers them.

The perils of the morning commute loom large in this morning’s weather coverage, with heavy snow, ice, drifts and record low temperatures all expected to play their part in making the journey to work a weather-driven obstacle course.